1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wind powered energy conversion systems and especially to wind turbins, which is defined herein as being a turbine having vertical axis and rotation.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the constantly increasing costs of energy, a clear need for the development of alternative sources of energy has become apparent. One such alternative source of energy is wind power. However, in spite of the fact that the use of wind energy is often discussed, very little progress has actually been made toward this end.
Modern windmill development has centered around large bladed windmills with blades in the range of 75-100 feet in length. The blades spin about a horizontal axis and are positioned 100 feet or more in the air. These windmills have a number of drawbacks. First, they are prohibitively expensive to construct. Also, they are usually located in windy, barren areas requiring the use of heavy lines or cables for power transmission to factories, homes or a central power grid. These windmills can also be dangerous. For instance, a blade can be thrown several hundred feet when it becomes crystallized. Furthermore, the rotating structure of this type of windmill is required to revolve or yaw upon a vertical axis in order to insure that the propeller blades are properly aimed into the oncoming wind. While the wind direction may change rapidly, the yaw of the rotating structure can take substantial time. This results in a large decrease in rotor revolutions per minute with an attendant decrease in power output, thereby significantly reducing efficiency. Also, the movement can be excessively noisy and requires additional complexity in that structure must be provided to ensure that electrical energy is passed to current carrying cable during the time in which the structure revolves.
Wind energy conversion systems having a vertical axis of rotation have also been suggested. These systems have the inherent advantage of being capable of accepting wind energy from any direction without the necessity of movement of the system supporting structure. However, presently designed systems of this nature have not proven to be sufficiently efficient to justify their construction.
I am aware of the following United States Patents which may be related to this general area: Nos. 259,569; 611,406; 1,234,405, 1,523,295; 1,708,374; 2,968,436; 3,793,530; 4,017,205; 4,086,498; and 4,134,707. Russian Pat. No. 542,016 may also be of interest.